‘The Iron Man’ is stripped of his flyweight Muay Thai title and only Jacob Smith is eligible to win vacant belt in catchweight fight
PUBLISHED : 8 Nov 2024 at 15:43
Rodtang Jitmuangnon lost his ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai title on the scale after missing weight for ONE 269.
“The Iron Man”, who had held the belt for over five years, passed a hydration test on his first attempt at Thursday’s official weigh-ins in Bangkok, but came in heavy at 135.5lbs.
He returned later in the official three-hour window but failed hydration on his second attempt, and declined to check his weight.
The 27-year-old Thai – who has missed weight multiple times during his career in ONE, including his most recent fight in June – was left in tears outside the weigh-in room at the host Best Western Plus Wanda Grand hotel.
Saturday’s co-main event will still go ahead at Lumpinee Stadium. Only Jacob Smith will be eligible to win the vacant title, however, after the 32-year-old Briton – who earlier passed with no problems – accepted a catchweight bout.
Smith will also receive 20 percent of Rodtang’s 10 million baht fight purse – around US$58,700.
“That’s Jacob’s bonus,” quipped Smith’s nutritionist Peter Miller, head of Condition Nutrition. “We’re happy he made it, let’s go.”
On another dramatic evening, Tagir Khalilov also failed to pass hydration and make weight again for his flyweight Muay Thai bout against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.
The fight had been hastily rebooked after both men failed to pass their checks for the same matchup last month at ONE Fight Night 25.
Another of this weekend’s three title fights had looked to be in jeopardy with Jackie Buntan nowhere to be seen until the final 10 minutes of the window.
But the Filipino-American eventually turned up and passed hydration before making weight, bang on 135lbs, with the curtain, making her strawweight kickboxing title fight with Anissa Meksen official.
The Algerian-French legend was first up to the scales on Thursday and passed with no problems.
“We got there in the end,” added Miller, who also oversaw Buntan’s nutrition plan this week.
All of the nine other fights on the card will go ahead at their contracted weights.
